Korean Bellflower Root Pickles

Name: Korean Bellflower Root Pickles
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: bellflower root 500 g; salt 1 tbsp; soy sauce 220 ml; water 220 ml; vinegar 130 ml; sugar 110 g; ginger 15 g

Quick answer

Total time: At least 2 days 13 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Bellflower root (doraji) carries a pronounced bitterness, tamed by rubbing the roots hard with salt until sticky foam appears and then rinsing several times.

The roots are torn by hand into thin strips; thinner strips take the brine faster, but crumbled pieces lose their chew. Ginger steeps in the hot soy brine for 10 minutes and is lifted out, leaving only its scent. The pickle is ready after 2 days of cold storage and is not meant to sit at room temperature.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Peel 500 g bellflower root, rinse it well in cold water, and tear it into 5 cm strips.

Make the strips thin enough to absorb brine quickly, but avoid shredding them so finely that they lose their chew.
2

Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon salt and massage the strips firmly for at least 3 minutes.

When sticky foam and moisture appear, the harsh bitterness has started to draw out, so do not stop before that point.
3

Rinse the roots 3 to 4 times in cold water to wash away foam and excess salt.

When the final rinse water is no longer cloudy, press firmly with both hands until the strips no longer drip.
4

Put 220 ml soy sauce, 220 ml water, 130 ml vinegar, 110 g sugar, and 15 g sliced ginger in a pot.

Heat over medium heat, stirring from the bottom, until the sugar fully dissolves.
5

When the brine reaches a full boil, turn off the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes so the ginger can infuse.

Remove the ginger, then pour the warm brine over the prepared roots.
6

Pack the roots in clean containers under the brine.

Divide into small containers, cool promptly, and refrigerate for 2 days to develop the flavor before serving chilled. This is not a shelf-stable pickle.